


Thistle & Thorn

by iamsiriuslyriddikulus



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Bottom Cheryl Blossom, Choking, F/F, Face-Sitting, Light Dom/sub, Top Toni Topaz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:13:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24382609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamsiriuslyriddikulus/pseuds/iamsiriuslyriddikulus
Summary: When visiting Salem with Sweet Pea and Fangs, Toni runs across a bookshop called Thistle & Thorn. Cheryl, the owner, is anything other than what she expected.
Relationships: Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz
Comments: 8
Kudos: 119





	Thistle & Thorn

“Are you sure you don’t want to join? Last chance.” Toni waits, her hand on the doorknob, though she’s certain of their answers already.

“We’ll join you for lunch.” Fangs half-lifts his head before plopping it back down on the bed.

“You better. It’s our last full day in Salem, and I’m going to kill both of you if you throw it all away on a hangover.”

Although his face stays in the pillow, Sweet Pea raises his hand halfway up before lifting his middle finger. “Bite me, Toni,” he says, his words muffled by the cushion.

“Yeah, well, text me when you decide where to eat.” Although she shakes her head, Toni smiles as she leaves and closes the door gently behind her.

She can’t complain. The autumn air is crisp in the morning and cold enough that she can see her breath, but bundled up in a jacket, Toni feels oddly at ease. The streets are significantly emptier than the night before, and Toni pops out her earbuds, taking in instead the quiet of the town.

She grabs a coffee at the cafe around the corner from their Airbnb and heads to the water. For a while, she sits on a bench, listening to the sound of the water hitting the rocks and drifting in and out of her thoughts. But the wind is stronger by the water, and before long, she gets up, cheeks stinging from the cold, and heads back to the town.

By the time she hits the center of town, Toni finds herself looking for a place to step in and warm up. As soon as she rids herself of the coffee cup, she begins to look, but most shops are closed this early on a Sunday.

She finally finds an open place on a side street in an alley next to a bakery. The chalkboard sign for the bookstore points toward the shadows, and other circumstances, Toni is certain she’d find it suspicious. But as another gust of wind blows, she glances at the name and heads toward the entrance of Thistle & Thorn Books.

The bell chimes when she steps in, and Toni pulls her coat and hat off as she looks around. If the store weren’t so clearly marked as open, she’d think she’d walked in early by mistake. Toni cranes her neck and glances down the first few aisles, but as far as she can tell, no one is there — owner or customers. She frowns and decides to look around.

The occult books seem to be staples at every bookstore she’s walked into, but something else catches Toni’s eye, and she walks over to a rotating rack. The sign above it reads “lesbian pulp” in elegant calligraphy. It looks so out of place, that Toni barely stifles a laugh as she picks one up and inspects the cover.

“They’re vintage, you know.”

The voice makes Toni jump, and when she turns around, she sees a redhead by the cash register, setting down a small stack of books. “Jesus Christ, you scared me,” Toni says, and she glances around. By all accounts, there seems to be no way the woman could have walked over without Toni noticing, yet Toni’s certain she wasn’t there when she entered.

“Seems I frequently have that effect on people.” The woman laughs and sets down the stack of books on the counter. “So, how can I help you?”

“If I’m being honest, I mostly stepped in here because it was so cold outside,” Toni admits, but she lifts up the book in her hand. “But I have to admit I’m intrigued.”

“I’m glad to hear.” The woman smirks and walks over. “Cheryl Blossom.” She offers Toni hand, palm facing the floor, and Toni sets the book back in the rack before reaching over.

“Toni Topaz.”

“Pleasure.” Cheryl’s gaze drops down momentarily as she tilts her head to the side. “I appreciate the honesty, but surely there’s _something_ I could do for you, Toni.” The word comes across as both a challenge and an invitation. Toni feels her face heat up but doesn’t back down.

“What did you have in mind?” She does her best to mimic Cheryl’s tone, and a wide grin spreads across Cheryl’s face.

“I have some books on occult in the back. I’ve been told you can’t leave Salem without something related to witchcraft.” Cheryl turns on her heel and disappears down the aisle with a laugh. Toni swallows thickly and glances at the door. She waits for a moment, as if expecting someone to appear and enter the bookshop, interrupting them. When no one does, she turns around and follows.

Cheryl is waiting for her, leaning back against a bookshelf. “I hope you weren’t actually expecting to find some books,” she says.

“It’s a miracle your store is still open if this is how you go about trying to convince people to buy things.”

“I wasn’t looking to sell you on anything.” The corner of her lip quirks upward. “Well, at least not anything you weren’t already sold on.”

“That’s rather presumptuous, don’t you think?”

“And yet here you are. Seems a pity to waste the moment.” She takes Toni’s coat and backpack out of her hands and tosses them to the floor.

Any argument dies on her tongue, and Toni steps forward until she can feel Cheryl’s breath on her lips. “Who said anything about wasting it?” Toni barely catches the way Cheryl’s eyes widen and the smirk slides off of her face before they kiss. It's hard and needy, and when Cheryl's fingers tighten around her shirt, she feels a surge of warmth that knocks the breath out of her.

Toni's hand moves to the back of Cheryl's neck, and she traces her thumb along her jaw then further down until she hits her collar, and Cheryl tilts her head to deepen the kiss. When Cheryl whimpers against her, she pulls back, and for a moment—surrounded by stacks of books—the absurdity of the situation hits her.

The laugh catches in her throat as she takes in the sharp look in Cheryl’s eyes, and Toni steps back, letting her eyes trace down the length of Cheryl’s dress.

“What?” Cheryl’s voice is impatient, bordering on petulant, and Toni grins as she steps forward and presses a kiss where her neck meets her shoulder.

“Nothing. I’m just wondering how badly you want this.” She reaches down just under Cheryl’s dress and traces up against her thigh with her index and middle fingers.

“You’re wondering if you can get me to beg?” She scoffs, but when Toni’s hand moves further up, skirting around the edge of her underwear, her looks quickly softens. “I suppose I’m not above it.” She shifts positions slightly and presses down, and Toni can feel her, hot and wet, through the fabric of her underwear. “But do I really need to ask if you want it too?”

Toni almost relents, but the victorious look in Cheryl’s eyes makes her pause. “Yes.” She takes pleasure in watching it evaporate, replaced almost immediately by hard desperation. “What do you want?”

“I want you to fuck me.”

“And you wanted that the second I walked in the door?”

Cheryl pauses, but when Toni runs a finger slowly over Cheryl’s clit, she whimpers and nods. “Yes.” Her voice is breathy, and her body trembles as she visibly holds herself back from pressing down.

“That’s all you needed to say.”

Toni pushes the fabric to the side and pushes two fingers in, earning a low moan from Cheryl. Cheryl’s hand reaches, and she grips the bookshelf, knuckles white, as her head falls back. From this position, stretched back, Toni can see a faint pulse in Cheryl’s neck. Her thumb grazes against Cheryl’s clit, and Cheryl grinds her hips forward. She pulls her fingers all the way out and lingers for a moment before pushing them back in.

With her other hand, Toni wraps her fingers around Cheryl’s neck, she doesn’t apply any pressure immediately, gauging Cheryl’s reaction instead. But Cheryl simply swallows and drops her head back. When her eyes flutter shut, it’s all the encouragement Toni needs. Her thumb slides over until it hits the dip in Cheryl’s throat and presses in until Cheryl’s lips fall open and she lets out a choked gasp.

She curls her fingers inside Cheryl, and their eyes meet for a moment. Toni moves her thumb back until it rests on the opposite side of Cheryl’s neck as the rest of her hand and starts to apply pressure. She continues fucking Cheryl as best as she can from the position, and when Cheryl moans, Toni presses their lips together. The kiss is wet and messy. There’s no way to be careful, not right now with her attention drawn elsewhere, but it doesn’t matter.

Cheryl rocks against her, shaky and uneven, and only when her whole body trembles against Toni’s does Toni drop the hand from Cheryl’s neck and pull back from the kiss. She marvels at the way Cheryl’s entire body moves as she gasps for air and at the flush across her cheeks. “Too much?” she asks—although, she already knows the answer. She drags her fingers out and runs them over Cheryl’s clit. Cheryl convulses and lets out a whimper before shaking her head. Her hair is a mess, disheveled against the bookshelf, and two books have fallen over by her left hand.

When Toni pushes back in, she’s almost certain that Cheryl is going to come, but before she can be proven right, a jingle from the front door jars them out of it. Toni’s hand stills for a moment, and Cheryl looks at her wide-eyed, as if she hadn’t considered the possibility of getting interrupted until now.

But she hasn’t come this close to give up.

Toni presses a finger to Cheryl’s lips, and when she starts fucking her again, hard enough to make the bookshelf sway, Cheryl bites her lip and chokes back a moan. It doesn’t take long before Cheryl comes, and Toni clasps her hand over Cheryl’s mouth, slowing down but not truly stopping until Cheryl shakes her head and jerks back, oversensitive.

Cheryl waits a moment, limp against the bookshelf before straightening herself up and smoothing out her hair. Without a word, she disappears to the front of the shop, and Toni lets out a shaky breath as she leans back against another bookshelf.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” she says, and lifts her fingers to her mouth, curious to taste.

Whoever Cheryl is helping must not have many questions because Toni cannot hear them speak beside a low murmur. And after a minute, she hears the jingle again.

She hears the click of Cheryl’s heels before Cheryl reappears. “That was bold of you,” she says and grins.

“What was it you said—seems a pity to waste a moment?” Toni wets her lips and speaks before she loses her nerve. “I want to ride your face.”

Cheryl flushes. “The floor isn’t exactly comfortable to kneel on. Can I—” She disappears, and for a moment, Toni is left standing there, unsure whether she overstepped. When Cheryl comes back, pillow in hand, Toni can’t help but laugh.

“Where’s that from?”

“Book nook three aisles down.” She chuckles and drops it on the ground before kneeling, tucking her legs underneath her. “Well, Ms. Topaz, I believe you were leading the way.”

Toni undoes the button and zipper of her pants. She tugs them down with her underwear and, as she looks around at the books surrounding them, feels suddenly exposed. She knows that should anyone else come, she might not be as lucky as Cheryl, and the uncertainty of it all sends a thrill down her spine.

They stand there for a moment, Cheryl’s eyes fixed at her cunt, and then she leans in and presses her tongue against Toni’s vulva and past until she’s left with Toni’s clit in her mouth. She runs her tongue over it twice carefully. Toni reaches down, weaving her fingers into Cheryl’s hair before tugging her head forward until her nose is pressed against her clit. When Cheryl’s tongue pushes inside of her, Toni’s head falls back, and her fingers tighten around Cheryl’s hair.

Toni rocks her hips without restraint. When Cheryl pulls back and sucks hard on Toni's clit, Toni tightens her grip and thrusts forward, earning a muffled shout of surprise from Cheryl. As best as she can, half-propped up by a bookshelf, Toni tries to set a pace, and it doesn't take long until she comes, Cheryl's face buried in her cunt, hidden. Only once she's come down, does she let go. Cheryl pulls back, heaving for air, her face slick from her nose to her chin.

It takes her a moment to feel steady enough to step back from the bookshelf, but when she does, Toni pulls up her underwear and pants and offers a hand to Cheryl. Cheryl accepts it.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have to clean up to be a bit more presentable to any potential customers.” She grins as she saunters off.

Toni takes a moment to collect herself and grabs her coat and backpack off the floor. When she gets back to the front of the store, she only has to wait for a moment before Cheryl appears, looking as pristine as she had when Toni entered.

“That was fast,” Toni remarks, and Cheryl smirks, though she says nothing.

“Would I be able to recommend you a book before you go, or would you take offense at the attempt to sell you on something?”

As much as she wants to be offended, Toni can’t find it in herself. “I suppose.”

Toni wants to laugh when Cheryl walks over to the lesbian pulp rack, but she has to admit that her curiosity is piqued. It takes Cheryl a moment to find when she’s looking for, but when she does, she lets out a pleased hum and turns around, hiding the book behind her back.

“Close your eyes. Consider it a surprise gift to your future self.” Toni sighs but obliges, waiting until Cheryl clears her throat to open them again. “Voilà.” She hands over a book, wrapped in kraft paper.

“I look forward to finding out, then.”

Although Toni opens her backpack and pulls out her wallet, Cheryl shakes her head. “I said it was a recommendation. I never said I expected you to purchase it.”

“I couldn’t possibly accept it.”

“It’s rude to reject gifts.”

Admitting her own defeat, Toni places it in her backpack and zips it back up. “This can’t be a good business model.”

“I think I’ll be fine.”

Toni wants to say more, but before she can, her phone buzzes. She pulls it out of her pocket and the text.

**Fangs** (11:21)  
Ugly Mug Diner, 10 minutes.

“Your friends?” Cheryl asks.

“They want to grab breakfast.” Toni sighs and pockets her phone. “I can stop by later.”

“I’m sure we’ll see each other before you leave.” This isn’t the note she wants to leave it on, but Toni knows she doesn’t have much time to leave and make it to the restaurant.

“Thank you for the book,” she says again.

“My pleasure.”

She feels Cheryl’s eyes on her all the way out, but when she looks back from the doorway, Cheryl is gone.

\- - -

“It’s just— Ha!” Toni stops in front of the alley way. The chalkboard sign is nowhere in sight, and she hopes that the store isn’t closed. They walk down the alley, but when they get to the end, they hit nothing but brick.

“Pretty sure this isn’t it,” Fangs says, and Toni frowns. She’s begins to think she might have mixed it up, but when she steps back out, she sees the bakery.

“This was it. I’m telling you,” she says as she steps back in towards Sweet Pea and Fangs. They glance at each other before bursting out laughing.

“Okay, you got us.” Sweet Pea lays a hand on her shoulder, and she angrily shrugs him off.

“I’m not kidding.”

“Then I don’t know what to tell you. Think Salem’s getting to you.” They begin to step out of the alley. Toni gives the wall one last glance and sighs before following. She doesn’t get more than two steps before a meow stops her, and when she looks down, she sees an orange cat seated in front of her.

As bizarre as it is, Toni is sure that the cat is making direct eye contact with her. It meows once more and rubs up against her before stepping past her. When she turns to look, the cat is nowhere in sight.

Toni sighs and looks around. “I swear I’m losing my mind,” she mutters.

And then it hits her. She opens her backpack, pulls the book out of it, and quickly tears the paper off. A drawing of Cheryl Blossom stares back at her from the cover of the novel, dressed in nothing but lacy lingerie and pointed hat. The title, in bright red, reads: _The Witch’s Way_.

“Toni, you coming?” Fangs yells. Toni smiles as she turns back and starts walking towards them.

**Author's Note:**

> After my last fic, I felt inspired to keep the supernatural theme going. If anyone has any requests, feel free to drop them in the comments.


End file.
